


A Cold Carpet

by Untherius



Category: Actor RPF, Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-08 11:04:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1938522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Untherius/pseuds/Untherius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Arendalska sisters and their Coronan cousin attend the 2014 Academy Awards, things are bound to be a little different, even for Hollywood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cold Carpet

Anna Arendalska, Princess of Norway, felt like an owl. She'd once thought all the excitement surrounding her sister's coronation day had been something. And it had, of course. But that gala event had somehow lacked something compared to the 2014 Academy Awards.

Coronation Day had been overwhelming enough. After years of being able to count on two hands the number of people she'd seen, and on one hand the number of them seen on any given day, let alone talking to them, seeing the gates opened and many hundreds of foreigners swarming all over the city had made her downright giddy. Had it been any wonder she'd fallen for the first handsome man who'd crossed her path? Nor did it surprise her that said man had turned out to be a first-rate grifter—at least, not once the initial shock of the whole thing had worn off.

The Hollywood Red Carpet, however, was something else entirely. Back in Norway, everyone had been there to see her sister Elsa. But at the Oscars, as the Academy Awards were also called, everyone was there to see, well, everyone else. Thus Anna's head had swiveled first one way, and then another from the moment she and Elsa had emerged from their limousine.

First there had been the photographers. Rather, the first of many. Then there had been cheering, adoring spectators. As a Royal, she'd grown used to that as of late. Though how many of the ones in Hollywood cheered for her and Elsa in particular, how many for one or more of the many other celebrities present, and how many for anyone in a fancy dress or suit she had no idea. In any event, she was determined to enjoy herself. So she smiled and waved as her head turned from side to side to side.

The weather made her thankful she'd chosen a fine silk-linen blend for her dress and even more glad she'd wound her twin braids up around the top of her head. Besides, those braids made her tiara—a small piece of white gold set with emerald, amethyst, and topaz, reflecting the livery colors of Arendelle, one of the ancient kingdoms that had eventually solidified into modern Norway--a little more secure. She smiled even more as she remembered how Elsa had told her how well the sea-green color of the fabric with its slightly-contrasting embroidered and rosemaling Norse knotwork beasties set off her blue eyes, as did the woven trim around her black velvet bodice with its embroidered golden crocus flowers, the primary charge of the arms of Arendelle.

The early March air of southern California danced across her bare arms and shoulders and exposed décolletage, cooling her a little as it occasionally wafted up under her full, near-ankle-length skirts. She almost regretted her black leather flats and was beginning to see the point of the strappy sandals so many women wore in warmer climes. At least she'd decided against stockings at the last minute.

Not that SoCalers, as they sometimes called themselves, had much of an idea of what real cool weather was. Anna enjoyed it all the same. She wondered if Elsa was somehow responsible for the lower-than-average temperatures that had so recently descended on the Los Angeles Basin. Her sister had denied it, of course, as they'd sat watching the local news the evening before.

She glanced at her sister. Elsa, of course, looked stunning. Her polar-bear-white single braid draped elegantly over her left shoulder as it often did. A small coronet, a nearly identical replica of the Crown Jewels, perched atop her head, each stone and metallic setting perfectly reproduced in crystalline ice. The “fabric” of her dress undulated in its curious manner. She'd shortened up the cape anchored at her shoulder-blades, but had again added the snowflake design to it. Her shoes were still ornate, and though Elsa changed them a little each time she re-fashioned them, sometimes covering more of her foot and sometimes less, and with varying hexagonal fractal patterns on their outer surfaces, she'd still chosen a more-or-less thumb-length heel. The whole thing set off Elsa's intense glacier-blue eyes.

The two of them strolled side-by-side down the red carpet, waving to everyone, and smiling for yet more cameras. It was all so exciting!

They finally reached a pair of interviewers. “Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Norway,” the woman said into her microphone. She'd apparently done her homework. Then again, there weren't many intact royal lines anywhere in the world and anyone who watched the news recognized most of them. England in particular, and to a lesser extent Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Monaco.

The sisters nodded gracefully. Anna would have had to admit that there wasn't a whole lot about herself that was particularly graceful. Fortunately, she could usually fake it under such circumstances. Really, how hard could it be to simply walk down a carpet and into a theatre?

“It's not often we have real-life royalty here at the Oscars,” the woman went on.

Elsa flashed her gorgeous smile. “It's not often we have an opportunity to collaborate on our life story. Or...a version of it, you could say.”

That was true. The animated movie “Frozen” was...somewhat fictionalized. The real events had, of course, been quite a bit more complicated. But such was real life. Certain things had been embellished, other plausible-sounding things had been outright invented, and still other unbelievable things were perfectly true, and more things had been omitted, all ostensibly for the sake of telling a good story. Some of that was rumored to be in the Bonus Material to be included in the DVD release come March.

“It's our pleasure, really,” said Anna. That much was true as well. She'd been very much looking forward to the gala event as she did with nearly all such social occasions.

“We were in the area anyway,” Elsa added.

That was also true. The two of them were on their way to a meeting with one Tony Stark first thing Tuesday morning.

“How do you like California?” asked the interviewer.

What sort of question was that?

“It should be...interesting,” said Anna. She hoped that was tactful enough. “I'm having more fun than the law should allow,” she added cheerily. Which was true. They both still felt like they were recovering from people withdrawal. Elsa giggled slightly. Anna knew her sister had a somewhat different perspective on exposure to people. But they were both still adapting to life after isolation.

“So tell us,” said the woman, “who are you wearing?”

Anna smiled. “Halla Einarsdottir,” she said, gesturing to her dress, “Royal dressmaker.”

Elsa smiled, too. “Oh, this is just something I threw together at the last minute,” she said. Anna could hear the laughter in her sister's voice. Elsa was indeed having far too much fun and Anna somehow suspected the Queen was just getting started. She leaned forward slightly. “It's made entirely of ice crystals,” she added.

Anna thought the reporter's male companion was going to fall over. Anna had to forcibly stifle a giggle when she remembered that Elsa didn't even wear underthings anymore. Her sister really had broken free and become her own woman.

“Well, you both look ravishing,” said the woman. That sounded sincere enough.

The Arendalska sisters strolled toward the building, Anna still taking in all the sights and reminding herself to wave every so often. They spoke to more reporters, then posed for official photographs. Elsa really did look ravishing.

They paused just a few dozen steps from the doors and looked up at the oversized Oscar statue that towered over them a few yards to their right. They gazed at it for a few moments, then exchanged looks. Anna recognized the twinkle in her sister's eye. “Oh, no, Elsa. You are not...”

Elsa tapped her toe on the flagstones. A narrow sheet of ice erupted from that point and surged toward the statue. In moments, it had reached the base, a sheet of crystalline ice spreading out around it, the fractal pattern muting the gold paint, iterating over and over until a film of ice covered the entire statue, turning it into something that looked like pale, brushed brass.

Elsa stepped back to admire her work. Anna giggled. “Elsa, have I ever told you you're the best sister ever?”

Elsa smiled at Anna. “Once or twice.” She winked and they both giggled.

The pair strolled on, leaving the spectacle behind as they ducked through the main doors. “How long do you think it'll take people to notice?” Anna asked.

“Depends on how long the ice lasts.”

“Which will be...?”

Elsa giggled. “A while.”

“We could get into so much trouble, do you know that?” Anna laughed.

“Oh, for certain.”

“Now that you're Queen,” Anna sang.

“And you're my right hand,” Elsa picked up the song.

“We'll get into trouble,” Anna continued.

“Throughout the land!” they finished together and burst into laughter.

“Except,” said Anna, “that we're getting into trouble in someone else's land.”

“Fortunately for us, I'm quite sure they don't have any laws about this.”

“Elsa, nobody has laws about this.”

Elsa grinned. Anna laughed. It was still good to see her sister smile so.

The expansive Dolby Theatre lobby was full of people, though not quite so many as Anna might have expected. She and Elsa slowed their pace a bit as they looked for the rest of their party. That was, assuming the others had already arrived, which was far from certain.

Anna scanned the room and spotted a familiar woman standing beside a thick column near the Grand Staircase. Her back was turned and a thick braid of golden hair fell to well below her knees. There was only one woman in the world with hair like that.

Anna abruptly changed course. Elsa yelped slightly as Anna tugged her firmly in that direction, her heels clattering on the polished stone floor.

“Rapunzel!” Anna squealed.

Anna's cousin turned around. Her face lit up when she recognized Anna and Elsa. “Well, if it isn't the Arendalska sisters!” she nearly squealed herself.

Their cousin looked beautiful, as usual. In addition to the thick braid of hair, Rapunzel had wound twin smaller braids across the crown of her head, their ends tucked into a small bun perched artfully above her occipital lobe. Various kinds of flowers adorned it and several hair pins, each tipped with a different polished stone, protruded from the bun and the base of the braid.

She wore a tiara—a smaller version of the Crown Jewels of the Coronan Princess, but in topaz and amethyst--between the two smaller braids. An ear wrap of Black Hills gold set with emeralds to match her eyes clasped her right lobe. A string of square-cut gemstones, alternating emerald, amethyst, and topaz, adorned her neck.

A stiff, strapless bodice supported full, ankle-length silk satin skirts, both in a lovely shade of lavender, the bodice embroidered with saffron-yellow sun patterns. Bare toes peeked out from the hem. Opera-length black leather fingerless gauntlet gloves completed her outfit.

“Wow!” gushed Elsa. “You look amazing!”

“I could say the same about the both of you,” said Rapunzel. Anna knew she meant that.

Anna and Elsa exchanged light hugs and air kisses with their Coronan cousin.

Elsa looked her cousin up and down. “The only thing you're missing, cousin,” she said with a teasing lilt to her voice, “are purple heels.”

Rapunzel stuck out a bare foot, wiggled her toes, and laughed. “Oh, but that just wouldn't be my style. Now, Tiana on the other hand...well, that woman can do some pretty impressive things with stilettos, let me tell you.”

Anna noticed her sister hadn't mentioned Rapunzel's omission of earrings. The story, as Rapunzel had told it, went that shortly after returning to her real home, her mother had pierced her ears. Because wearing jewelry was one of the things Princesses supposedly did. But the piercings had filled in literally overnight. Rapunzel's mother had promptly pierced them again, but again they'd closed up overnight.

That had continued for an entire week. Rapunzel had finally worn a pair of gold studs to bed. But her body had absorbed the gold, the holes had sealed up anyway, and the rest of the earrings had fallen off onto her pillow. She'd given up after that.

“I thought,” said Anna, gesturing to Rapunzel's face, “that you didn't like make-up.”

“Oh, I don't,” Rapunzel tittered. She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice a little. “Can't stand the stuff, really. But I'm presenting this evening and...” She made a vague upward gesture. “...stage lighting.”

Anna nodded. Stage lighting was so bright, it washed out a person's face, so much so that makeup was a requirement, even for men. Anna herself seldom bothered. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd ever worn it. Elsa, on the other hand, favored a classic, yet restrained application, mainly limited to red lip gloss, light violet eye shadowing and minimal eyeliner, all more of that simple-yet-elegant approach. Rapunzel seemed to have done hers in precisely the same way.

Rapunzel started to turn, when something chirped near her head. “Would you excuse me, please?” she said calmly. Yet Anna thought she detected just a hint of annoyance.

Rapunzel squeezed her ear wrap, then said, “Rapunzel. Yes. That's correct. Weren't we clear enough? I see. E-mail it to me and I'll take a cursory look at it sometime tonight and read through it thoroughly over breakfast. Until then, I'm officially unavailable for the rest of the evening. And speaking of which, did I not give you and the others today off? On second thought, extend that to tomorrow, too. Yes, I understand that, but you're all under direct orders to relax. I don't know, Google it...or ask the Concierge, that's why they're there.” She giggled slightly. “And that's why we all like you. Oh, and if something comes up that's truly an emergency, text it to me. I'll check those every, oh, hour or so, I suppose. Don't have too much fun out there and don't do anything I wouldn't do.”

Rapunzel squeezed the ear wrap again, then returned her attention to her cousins. “I'm sorry about that,” she said. “A Princess' work is never done.” She reached into the large, purple leather clutch she carried and pulled out a smart phone. She poked at it several times before returning it to its place. “There,” she said cordially. “Now, where were we?”

“Um,” said Anna, “introducing you to our friends?” She nodded to the small knot of people who'd been apparently chatting with Rapunzel. Anna recognized most of them as people associated with the production of “Frozen.”

Everyone was delighted to see Anna and Elsa again and they all seemed equally delighted to meet Rapunzel. Elsa made all the introductions and everyone gave Rapunzel polite nods that, were the United States a monarchy, or were they Coronan, Anna was sure would have turned into full bows.

Producers Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho, composer Christophe Beck, songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Livvy Stubenrauch, Eva Bella, and Spencer Ganus were all familiar faces. Anna guessed, and was right, that the others were what Hollywood called “non-business companions.” A term which she supposed made things less complicated.

Livvy, Eva, and Spencer were particularly excited. While all three of them had grown up a little in the year since they'd done their parts as Elsa's and Anna's young selves, and while they were on their best behavior, all three girls still exuded a childlike enthusiasm that made Anna smile.

Anna and Elsa exchanged hugs with each one of the girls. “Do the magic! Do the magic!” they cried, in that barely restrained way that only children ever seemed to manage convincingly.

Elsa grinned mischievously. “You mean like this?” She took a couple of steps backward, then reached behind Rapunzel and smacked the column open-palmed. Ice spread out from the point of contact and expanded over the stony surface in a tessellating hexagonal fractal pattern. It spread up and around the column, then across the entire ceiling. Elsa pulled back and beamed.

The children squealed in delight. Even Spencer lowered her carefully-constructed wall so typical of teenage girls. Elsa simply clasped her hands elegantly in front of her and basked in the adoration.

“Oh, you didn't,” said Kristen, her eyes on the ice.

Elsa just smiled and shrugged.

“Interesting,” said Rapunzel. She opened her clutch and began to rummage through it. She pulled out her smart phone and tucked it between her fingers. Then she pulled out a six-inch frying pan and thrust it toward Spencer. “Miss Ganus, will you hold this for me, please?”

Spencer took it gingerly and peered at it suspiciously while Rapunzel continued. “I know it's in here somewhere,” she muttered. She put her hand deeper and before long, her arm had disappeared past her elbow. Finally, “Aha!” She pulled out a small cylinder attached to a neatly-coiled cord with a USB plug on the other end.

“Is that...?” Anna began.

“Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside?” Rapunzel finished. “Yes, it is. Mary Poppins makes these.” She tucked her clutch under her arm and plugged the USB into her smart phone and began tapping the screen.

“Mary Poppins?” said Eva. “ _The_ Mary Poppins?”

“Well,” said Rapunzel, “her granddaughter. Not her real name, incidentally. It's become...sort of a trademark, I suppose you could say. The Mary Poppins with whom you're familiar? Not her real name either. The original Mary Poppins was her great, great, great, grandmother.”

“So, like...the Doctor?” said Robert.

“No, more like the Dread Pirate Roberts. Ah, here we are.” Rapunzel pointed the cylinder straight at the column and looked onto the small screen in front of her. Her eyebrows went up. “One hundred and seventy-nine,” she said, her voice full of awe. “Impressive, Elsa. Most impressive. You're improving!”

“One hundred and seventy-nine what?” Anna asked.

“Degrees,” said Rapunzel. “Kelvin.”

“And just what is that, exactly?” Josh asked.

“Kelvin, or this?” Rapunzel asked, brandishing the small cylinder.

“That,” said Josh, pointing at what Rapunzel held.

“It's an infrared thermometer.”

“Wait,” said Jennifer, “you just happened to have one of those in your purse?”

Rapunzel giggled. “No, no,” she laughed. “It's not part of my standard-issue accoutrement. I just knew I'd be spending some quality time with the most powerful cryokinetic the world has ever seen, so I thought it might be useful.”

“Are you telling us,” said Jonathan, “that you...” He nodded to Elsa. “...generated that...” He gestured at the ceiling. “...and it's...wait, how cold?”

“One hundred seventy-nine degrees Kelvin,” Rapunzel repeated. “And yes, she did.”

“How cold is that?” asked Idina.

“Let's put it this way,” said Rapunzel, “carbon dioxide freezes at one hundred ninety-four degrees Kelvin.”

“That's dry ice,” said Kristin Bell.

“Yes. To put it into perspective, water freezes at two hundred seventy-three degrees Kelvin.”

Low whistles circulated about Anna's friends. The three girls let out a near-unison chorus of, “Whoa!”

“You're sh...uh...kidding us,” said Chris.

“You produced our story,” said Elsa. “You know what I am. You've even seen some of it already yourselves. Why are you so surprised?”

Chris shook his head slowly. “Got me. It's just...no idea.”

“Well,” said Jennifer, “I guess it's one thing to know she's a cryokinetic. Which I still don't understand, by the way. It's another thing to see her do something like this...” She gestured at the ceiling. “...and that it's that cold!”

“Fair enough,” said Elsa. “What about this?” She held out her arm. The sleeve of her dress began to unravel, beginning at the wrist. The particles of ice masquerading as fabric dissociated from one another, expanding into a sparkling cloud. It hung there for several moments before collapsing inward and re-condensing around Elsa's arm.

The girls gasped in delight.

“Isn't she the best sister ever?!” Anna gushed. She froze, then straightened up and cleared her throat. “I mean,” she said, “I'm extremely proud of my sister and her accomplishments.”

Kristen Bell giggled. “Anna, you're so funny!”

Anna smiled. She really did like Kristen. She had fond memories of the time the two of them had spent together with Elsa and Idina. To the two voice-actresses had spent a great deal of time with the Arendalska sisters initially so they could accurately portray them in “Frozen.” But the four of them had also come to know each other as friends.

“Well,” said Jennifer to Rapunzel, “we're all delighted to meet you. And we're just as delighted to see the two of you again,” she added to Anna and Elsa.

“You know,” said Kristen Anderson-Lopez, “I'm really not sure which of you three is more radiant this evening.”

“Oh, I do,” said Anna. She leaned toward Rapunzel and quickly sang, “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine!”

Rapunzel's hair suddenly lit up with an inner golden light. Each strand pulsed with an organic luminescence until the whole thing shimmered with it from roots to ends. The glow felt warm, as though bathed in spring sunshine. It reflected off the ice behind her and refracted through the gems in her tiara, giving her the appearance of having a halo around her. After half a minute, the light faded and Rapunzel once again looked like any other young, healthy-headed golden blonde.

Rapunzel cocked an eyebrow at Anna. “Let me guess,” she said flatly, “you'd say you were sorry, even though you're not.”

Anna shrugged. Her cousin was right. Anna really wasn't sorry. In fact...she snorted a rather unladylike giggle.

After a moment, Rapunzel's mouth quirked upward and she giggled.

The girls' faces lit up almost as much as Rapunzel's hair had.

“Holy sh...” said Josh, choking back the word.

“Wha...what was _that_?” asked Anderson-Lopez.

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow.

“Um,” said Jennifer, “you've seen 'Tangled,' haven't you?”

Anderson-Lopez nodded. After a moment, her eyes widened. “You mean that's real, too?!”

Rapunzel smiled. “You might be surprised to find how many of the most interesting parts of our stories are the least embellished.”

“Do that again!” the girls gushed.

Rapunzel beamed at them. “Maybe later,” she said. As their faces fell, she added, “It's generally a good idea not to push these things too much in public.” She paused, a pensive expression flitting across her face. “But you know, from what I've seen, you three have been behaving remarkably well. Better them I think I'd have done at your ages. So maybe, with your parents' permission, we could have a little get-together some time tomorrow?”

The girls nodded vigorously and Rapunzel grinned.

“So, Rapunzel,” said Jennifer, as the group began to drift toward the stairs, “what have you been doing with yourself since Elsa's coronation?”

Anna remembered Jennifer Beck having met Rapunzel at that event three years before when she'd first had the idea to make “Frozen.” Though back then, all three of the Royals had been, well, messes, and for varied and complicated reasons.

“Oh,” said Rapunzel, as she stowed her phone, its attachment, and her pan back into her clutch, “this and that.” She paused, probably for effect. “Actually, I've been doing more training.”

“Training for what?” asked Robert.

“Yes,” said Rapunzel. After another pause, she continued. “Several years ago, I was, as my lovely cousin Anna has put it, somewhat of a mess. And now, I'm not. Or, at least, so I like to think. In truth, I still have plenty of room for improvement.”

“That's...a little vague.”

“True. The short answer is that my mother sent me to a finishing school.”

“They still have those?” said Idina.

“Oh, goodness, yes. As long as there's high society, there will be finishing schools.”

“Don't those teach you to be all stuffy and boring?” said Bell.

Rapunzel tittered. “Now, that very much depends on the finishing school. The one I've been attending...well, it's a little different.”

“Different how?” asked Jennifer.

“What we do goes far beyond other finishing schools. It's not about grooming women, it's about improving us. There's a philosophy that manners and etiquette are still relevant. But the reasons for that have far more to do with the sorts of things that high society used to, and still does, think.

“You see, most people think all those rules oppress people, and women in particular. While that's been true in the past, we approach things differently. We teach women that the rules can _unleash_ them! It's not unlike how severely constricting the flow of water in a particular way results in a powerful, nearly-unstoppable force. Along those lines, everyone who attends learns far more than the usual social skills.

“For example, it's one thing to know how to execute a perfect curtsy. It's another to do it while throwing a shuriken. It's yet another to hit your target. And it's something else entirely to do all that without anyone noticing.”

“You're kidding!” laughed Christophe.

“No,” said Rapunzel, “no, I'm not.”

“In a finishing school?”

Rapunzel nodded.

Bell laughed. “They do not!”

Rapunzel's lips curled upward. “How many weapons do you think I have on my person?” she asked.

“Three?” said Elsa.

“I'll be generous and say eight,” said Anna.

Other guesses ranged from two to seven.

“It's a trick question,” said Jennifer, “she doesn't have any.”

Rapunzel grinned. “Would you believe twenty-four?”

Anna barely contained a snort of laughter. “You do not!”

“Oh, yes I do,” Rapunzel insisted.

“I think,” said Jennifer, “that you're just trying to see how long you can string us along before you finally _do_ tell us you're joking.”

Rapunzel brandished her clutch. “Remember the frying pan? That's one of them.”

Everyone laughed. Everyone, that was, except Elsa and Anna. They'd both seen what their cousin could do with cast-iron.

“A frying pan?” said Jonathan.

“Who knew, right?” gushed Rapunzel.

“And you have all the rest of your theoretical weapons in that...magical handbag of yours,” said Robert, “I get it.”

“Actually,” said Rapunzel, “most of the rest of them are hidden on my person.”

“If I'm not mistaken,” said Elsa, “they're prone to arrest people for that sort of thing here.”

“She's right,” said Jennifer. “We have concealed weapons laws here.”

“Two words,” said Rapunzel, “diplomatic immunity.”

“Thank goodness for that,” said Anna. “But how? Where are you keeping it?”

“Two words,” said Rapunzel, “carbon fiber. Two more...corset boning. And another two...stiletto heels.”

“Um...you're not wearing shoes.”

“True, that.”

“And I thought you didn't like corsets.”

“Oh, I don't. But that doesn't mean they're not incredibly useful for concealing weaponry. And let's not forget how good a properly-supported gown looks at formal occasions.”

Anna tittered.

“But,” said Elsa, “how'd you get it all through airport security?”

“It helps to have a private plane. And between you and me, the TSA are amateurs.”

“Amateurs?” Bell laughed.

“Don't let them hear you say that,” said Chris.

Rapunzel laughed. “The point is,” she said, “that every woman who completes her studies becomes self-rescuing.” That brought some giggles.

“What else do they teach you in that...what did you call it?” said Idina.

Rapunzel smiled. “I didn't. But we call it the Extreme Princessing Academy.”

If Anna could have sporfled the air, she'd have done it just then. “Ex...what?!”

“I've heard of extreme...well, just about everything else,” said Jonathan. “Even extreme weddings. But...princessing?”

Rapunzel tittered. “It's a whole new world.” That brought more laughter.

The group made their way into the auditorium and to their seats. Anna watched as more people in fabulous dresses and well-tailored suits filtered in behind them. She wondered how many of them had noticed Elsa's little display down in the lobby, how long it would take for the ice to melt, whether it would drip onto people, and what, if anything, anyone would do about it when they finally noticed. Which, Anna was sure, would only be a matter of time. But if anything untoward had ever come of it, no one seemed inclined to bring it to either her or Elsa's attention and the show began without further do.

Anna watched and politely applauded as the show went underway, Ellen Degeneres contributing her singular brand of humor. No wonder that woman had her own television show. Truth be told, though, Anna was barely familiar with most of the nominees. Which was somewhat ironic, considering her some thirteen years of isolation with nothing better to do during the hours a woman like her would otherwise have spent engaging in social pursuits. Yet the previous three years since Coronation Day had kept both her and Elsa far too busy for much of that sort of entertainment.

Shortly after Chris Buck had contacted her and Elsa following nominations, inviting them to the ceremony, she'd quickly checked Oscars.com. Then she'd promptly subjected Elsa to several of the nominees.

Following Channing Tatum's presentation of aspiring filmmakers, Anna noticed Rapunzel pull a compact and a small tube out of her clutch, then touch up her lipstick. “Anna,” she said, once she'd finished, “would you keep an eye on this, please?” She indicated her clutch.

Anna leaned over and whispered, “But won't you be...” She paused. “...oh...right. My mistake. Of course I will.” She took the dusty-rose leather purse, which was much lighter than Anna had expected, and rested it in her lap along with her own seafoam silk one.

Rapunzel nodded, then excused herself. Ellen Degeneres did some more shtick, then announced Princess Rapunzel and Matthew McConaughey. The two of them entered from behind a swinging stage decoration, Rapunzel gliding onto the stage alongside the much taller McConaughey. While he towered over her and was quite dapper in a white tux, Rapunzel somehow managed to project at least twice the stage presence and Anna was quite sure that far more was responsible than just the way her jewelry caught the light.

“As actors like we are,” began McConaughey, “there's one thing we actually have zero experience with and that's animation.”

Rapunzel smiled. “Speak for yourself,” she said. That drew a few chuckles.

Anna knew exactly what her cousin meant. Rapunzel had worked closely with both Mandy Moore and the animation team on the production of “Tangled.” And, of course, Anna and Elsa had done the same thing on “Frozen.”

“Wait, I can be animated,” McConaughey protested.

“Oh, can you now?”

“Of course.”

“I see.”

Rapunzel remained perfectly poised and unflappable without looking stiff, handily holding her own against McConaughey's slightly off-balance demeanor which, as near as Anna could tell, was not terribly unlike how she'd seen him portray many of his characters. Moreover, Rapunzel's smile, which looked as genuine as ever, never left her face. Anna was impressed. Had she herself been up there, she was quite sure she'd look like a stuttering robot.

“So what about you?” McConaughey countered.

“What about me?”

“Can you be animated?”

“Can I be animated?”

“Yeah. You know, let your hair down, that sort of thing.”

“Now, now,” said Rapunzel, “you know how I am about that. Besides, I make it a point to always have my hair down.” She leaned forward slightly. “It makes a better weapon that way.” A few chuckles floated around the room.

Anna tittered. She certainly wouldn't have put it past her cousin to use the hair itself as a weapon, though Anna wasn't quite sure how and might even have paid good money for a demonstration.

“But really,” McConaughey pressed, “can a princess actually be animated?”

Rapunzel's smile broadened. “Oh, you have no idea.” That brought a few laughs.

“Let me guess, frying pans?”

“Who knew, right?” They paused for the ensuing light laughter.

“Here's something that I really love about animation,” continued McConaughey, “it's whatever they dream up. They just draw it. There's no limits, no boundaries, it's total freedom. Absolutely anything goes.” The pair then proceeded to present the nominees for Best Animated Short Film.

Anna recognized “Get a Horse,” the humorous short that had played before the opening scene of “Frozen.” The Oscar went to “Mr. Hublot.” Anna was fine with that. But she was really interested in the following presentation for Best Animated Feature Film.

“Here are the nominations for Best Animated Feature Film,” said McConaughey. The disembodied announcer read the titles and their producers: “The Croods,” “Despicable Me 2,” “Ernest & Celestine,” “Frozen,” and “The Wind Rises.”

Anna had just about scooted toward the edge of her seat. She glanced at Elsa. While Elsa had learned long ago how to avoid looking like a statue, Anna still recognized her sister's body language. She noticed the way Elsa gripped the arm rest of her seat and felt the rippled ice crusting over the wood even before she saw it.

Anna reached over and squeezed the back of her sister's hand. Elsa visibly twitched. Anna leaned over and whispered, “Breathe.”

Elsa cocked an eyebrow. Anna tapped on the ice next to Elsa's hand. Elsa grimaced slightly, then smiled.

Anna had loved being involved in the production of “Frozen.” She and Elsa had been mostly what most would have called consultants. The production of most movies based on people's lives or actual events was generally limited to signing liability releases, production rights, and so on. But Producers Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho had gone above and beyond the call of duty, as they were fond of saying in America. The Producers had actually been interested in them as people, as friends even.

She and Elsa had cried upon hearing two of the film's songs, but she hadn't been prepared for what had happened after that. She'd been surprised to have been invited to the production screening prior to the premier. Naturally, she and Elsa had accepted. But if the songs had made them cry, seeing the movie had been downright dramatic.

The two of them had bawled like babies at the end of the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” sequence, the two of them clinging tightly to each other. In fact, Chris had declared a half-hour pause while the Arendalska sisters had calmed down. They'd cried some more during the “Let it Go” sequence and had bawled again toward the end of the ice floe scene when Anna had, as her dying act, thrown herself between a sword and her sister. But there hadn't been a good pausing point, and the two of them had cried even more when Anna thawed in the movie and then again during the Celebration scene, leaving each of them soaked with the other's tears and their eyes literally in pain.

The thing was, as strange as it seemed, that was exactly what had actually happened. Which was why the two of them had reacted the way they had. The entire production team had apologized profusely just as soon as the credits had started rolling. Anna and Elsa had told them, in no uncertain terms, that there'd been absolutely no need to apologize. They'd both been very deeply touched and, even before their own tears had dried, had given each of the production staff hugs. It had been one of the most memorable experiences Anna had ever had.

McConaughey popped open the flap on the envelope, then turned to Rapunzel. “Would you like to do the honors?” he asked.

“I'd be delighted,” Rapunzel replied. She accepted the stiff envelope. Then she paused, her hand poised at the edge of the flap. “So close and I'm halfway to it,” she said, her voice bouncing in a sing-songy lilt that Anna was pretty sure she recognized. “Do I even dare? Here at last, I just have to do it. Should I? No. Here I go!” She pulled the flap open. “And the Oscar goes to...”

Anna could have sworn the entire “Frozen” delegation, herself and her sister included, had stopped breathing. She knew the feeling all too well, right down to the chill in the air around her.

Rapunzel smoothly slid the red card out of the envelope, her gorgeous smile never wavering. It was hard to tell from that distance, but Anna could have sworn she saw her cousin's face light up. “Frozen!” Rapunzel announced.

Cheers went up from the audience. In hindsight, Anna was never sure whether her own squeal met or exceeded those of her sister and the two actresses who'd voiced their characters. She was, however, quite sure she hadn't been that excited since the morning of Elsa's Coronation Day.

Elsa tossed a liberal, double-handed flurry high into the air, reminding Anna keenly of the animation from the “Let it Go” sequence in the movie. The minute ice crystals floated gently down, twinkling in the light before quickly melting into a fine mist that evaporated while still above everyone's heads. Anna wasn't sure how many had noticed, but she caught that certain twinkle in Elsa's eye as the sisters winked at each other.

Jennifer, Chris, and Peter seemed almost as excited as they exchanged hugs with their associates and the Norwegians as they made their way to the aisle and down to the stage for their acceptance speech. Rapunzel and McConaughey handed the trio their statuettes before yielding the microphone.

“We're going to do this together,” said Jennifer, “because we collaborated, but we'll be fast.”

The trio thanked the usual people, mainly their families. Finally, Chris Buck added, “And finally, I'd like to dedicate this to our guardian angel, that's my son Rider Buck. Thank-you.”

Anna wiped a tear from her eye. Those sorts of things always got to her, especially given her experience at the very edge of existence and the rare perspective it had given her. She exchanged a glance with Elsa, one that told her she was thinking much the same thing. Those moments out on the fjord had been special, albeit harrowing, yet had bound the two of them together more durably than they would have been otherwise.

About an hour into the show, Ellen Degeneres announced that she was about to order pizza for everyone. Was she serious? She seemed to be. Ellen posed an open-ended question to the audience: Who would eat pizza?

Naturally, Anna raised her hand, as did most of her companions. She didn't know what it was about pizza that she found so delicious. Naturally, Americans made it quite differently than Italians did, but that was beside the point. So it wasn't as good as chocolate, but still. Seriously, though, somebody was going to need a forklift or something.

At length, one John Travolta was announced onto the stage, clad head to toe in black. Not that Anna had a problem with that. After all, Idina had chosen a black dress for the occasion. Still, it always seemed far too somber and she supposed the color hit a couple of still-raw nerves leftover from her parents' funeral. At least the man wore it well.

“There will always be a special place in my heart for the movie musical,” Travolta began. “For the songs that create the most memorable moments. Here to perform the Oscar-nominated, gorgeously empowering song 'Let it Go,' from the Oscar-winning animated movie 'Frozen,' please welcome the wickedly talented, one and only, Adele Dazeem.”

Wait, what? He hadn't just said what Anna thought he'd said? Anna's jaw flopped open, her applause more automated than anything. She felt a rush of cold surge out from Elsa. A glance at her sister and the furious scowl on her face told Anna that Elsa was visibly restraining herself. Anna was sure Elsa could have iced Travolta from where they sat. What was her sister's effective range anyway? Ten kilometers? Twenty? Probably more.

Everyone else politely applauded as Idina Menzel strode onto the stage in a white, opalescent gown. The familiar piano prelude to “Let it Go” floated through the room and Idina began to sing, apparently undeterred by Travolta's mangling her name. Anna would have expected no less from the woman who'd so expertly given voice and life to Elsa's animated likeness. Still, there was bound to be fall-out, Anna was sure of it.

When Idina reached the first refrain of “Let it go, let it go,” the lighting flared up and a mid-space projection of the ice chandelier appeared far above Idina. Personally, Anna thought they should have let Elsa reproduce it in actual ice.

Anna smiled. She could count on one hand the number of people who'd ever seen the original, which had been destroyed during an altercation between Elsa and members of the Finnish police. But between the two of them, they'd managed to describe it well enough that the animation team could reproduce it. Though Elsa's sketches had helped. Anna still hadn't been satisfied and she'd eventually dragged the entire team into a large meat freezer and made Elsa recreate a scale model of it.

Idina continued to sing, pouring all that emotion into the song. Which wasn't surprising considering how many times she'd performed it, not to mention that everyone and their uncle had a cover of it on YouTube, as well as the song's occurrence on various radio stations. In point of fact, it had been hard to stay away from it.

Not that Anna minded. She loved that song and she knew Elsa loved it even more. She glanced over and caught her sister lip-synching along with Idina, her lips turned up in a smile. Anna half-expected her sister to toss a few small flurries into the air with each refrain of “let it go.”

She remembered well the day the Lopezes had sent her and Elsa the demo versions of that and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman.” She and Elsa had both cried. But when she'd first heard Idina perform it, pouring all that emotion into it, Anna and her sister had cried even harder. The writers had so completely captured everything that had been wrapped up in all that had led up to the events surrounding Elsa's coronation day.

Idina left out a verse or two, and while Anna wasn't sure how she felt about that, she did understand the time constraints. The singer laid into the final verse, raising chills up and down Anna's spine and tears to her eyes. She glanced at Elsa. Tears poured down her sister's cheeks. Anna knew the song affected Elsa very deeply, probably even more than “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” affected Anna herself. Anna squeezed her hand and shared a knowing glance.

Once Idina had finished, she remained on stage for a few long moments. Anna wasn't sure what to make of the other woman's expression. But surely the standing ovation from the audience made up for whatever feelings Idina may have been having over both the performance in general and that egregious butchering of her name. Anna clapped so hard, she thought for sure her palms would be sore for hours. She shared another glance with Elsa, one that, as so often was the case, carried multiple emotions.

At length, Jaimie Fox and Jessica Beale strode up to present Best Original Score. Fox was...a bit of a ham, Anna could tell. And he barely managed to avoid upstaging Beale. The Oscar went to “Gravity,” bringing that movie's Oscar count to six. What was pretty good, or so she'd been told. It was one of the movies she'd inflicted on Elsa, and one they and their retinue had enjoyed quite a bit. Except for Gerta, who'd had to excuse herself several times. Anna had warned her to take her Dramamine.

The pair then presented Best Original Song, the second of two presentations Anna and her companions had been anticipating. They reminded the audience of the nominees: “Happy” by Pharrell Williams from “Despicable Me 2,” “The Moon Song” by Karen Orzolek and Spike Jonze from ”Her,” “Ordinary Love” by U2 from “Mandella: Long Walk to Freedom,” and, of course, “Let it Go” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez from “Frozen.” Each song had been performed periodically throughout the show.

“And the Oscar goes to...” said Fox. Anna, Elsa, and their companions again held their collective breaths.

Beale finished the phrase. “...Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for 'Let it Go!'”

The announcer declared Robert Lopez to be the winner of something called the EGOT, which means winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, something which few ever achieve.

Anna squealed and Elsa let loose with another flurry while the Frozen delegation exchanged more hugs.

The Lopezes made their way to the stage. They began by declared their fellow nominees to be rock stars, “literally,” they said together. “We have so many people to thank,” they said. “Luckily, everybody's name rhymes. Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell. Jennifer Lee, Peter Del-V. Chris Buck, Chris Beck. John Lasseter. Happy Oscars to you, let's do Frozen Two!” Then a few names Anna didn't quite recognize. “Anna and Elsa. The Lopez clan. Josh Gad, Mom and Dad. Last but not least, our girls Katie and Annie, this song is inspired by our love for you and the hope that you never let fear or shame keep you from celebrating the unique people that you are. Thank you. We love you!”

The Lopezes retreated from the stage amid more applause.

* * *

The remainder of the ceremony and the parties afterward felt like a blur to Anna Gunnarsdottir Arendalska. Ever since the afternoon of the Thaw, it had been her responsibility to make sure Elsa didn't overdo it about anything and the partying was no exception. That meant restraining herself. Otherwise, how was she supposed to keep the level head needed to help her sister maintain the same? 

Despite her restraint, Anna was unsure whether it was the bubbly, or the elation at “Frozen” having won both its Oscars, that was responsible for her wonderful mood. While she was sure both were to blame, she wasn't sure it mattered, nor did she particularly care. She'd still had more fun than the law should have allowed.

So it was that Anna and Elsa poured themselves out of their limousine in front of the Beverley Wilshire Hotel on Santa Monica Boulevard. They'd spent who knew how long celebrating with the production staff of “Frozen” and Anna had completely lost track of time. She watched the little Norwegian flags flutter from the front of the vehicle as it sped off toward wherever it was that they parked those things when not in use.

She was about to turn around when another limousine flying the little purple flags bearing the golden sun of Corona pulled up. Anna's face lit up as Rapunzel practically bounced out of the door even before the person assigned to such things had so much as reached out toward the handle.

“Rapunzel!” Anna squealed.

Rapunzel waved in acknowledgment, then exchanged a few quiet words with the man next to the door. He nodded and retreated into the vehicle while Rapunzel stepped up to her cousins.

“So,” said Anna to Rapunzel, “are you staying...here?”

Rapunzel nodded.

Anna gasped. “So are we!” she gushed.

“Really?” Rapunzel squealed.

The three women squeed. It was the least ladylike thing Anna had seen Rapunzel do all evening. Anna said as much, adding, “It's refreshing to see you letting your hair down...so to speak. It's like you're...yourself.”

They turned toward the building's front doors, the sounds of their individual foot-falls as different as they were.

“Who says I haven't been myself all evening?”

“Oh, come on, Rapunzel,” said Anna, “you've been stiff and formal the whole time.”

“Considering the occasion,” said Rapunzel, “isn't that the point?”

“You saw the rest of us relaxing,” said Elsa, “and being ourselves and I think _that's_ the point.”

“But this _is_ myself,” said Rapunzel.

Anna cocked an eyebrow, which she wasn't sure her cousin could see well under the portico lights.

“No,” said Elsa, “I think what we've been seeing all night is you...repressed.”

“Elsa's right,” said Anna, “what happened to that wonderful woman we met at the coronation?”

“Oh, I'm still here,” said Rapunzel. She paused. “I think I see the problem. You two think all that finishing school training I've been doing has somehow indoctrinated, brainwashed me, even. You don't think I'm the same person I was. That last bit's true. I'm _not_ the same woman...I'm _better_!

“Part of what we do has to do with improving ourselves, making ourselves stronger. There's an expression...she's trying to make it in her daddy's world. We don't try to make it in a man's world so much as rise above it. What you saw me doing this evening was me being mindful of the situation and behaving accordingly, being controlled and deliberate. I can still let my hair down, as you put it, but I do it when I choose. In truth, what I've done has freed me more than restrained me.”

“Wow,” said Elsa. “That's...deep.”

“That's...some pretty good...what do the Americans call it...bull-sh...”

“Now, now, Anna,” Rapunzel interrupted. “A lady, especially a Princess, does not talk like that. And, no, it's not nonsense. It's all perfectly true.”

Anna laughed. “Oh, cousin, you do amuse me.” She turned to her sister. “Doesn't she amuse you?”

“Yes,” said Elsa, making little effort to hide her own laughter, “yes, she does.”

A pair of doormen nodded and pulled open the pair of glass doors to allow the Royals to enter three abreast. The trio swept regally into the lobby, Elsa's ice heels clicking crisply against the marble flooring, Anna's shoes tapping sedately, and Rapunzel's bare feet padding silently.

“Really, though,” said Anna, “you should let it go a little...more than a little, really.”

Anna exchanged a glance with her sister.

Elsa suddenly burst into song. “Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!” She accompanied the words with wide sweeps of her hands, throwing sprays of fine snow all over the lobby. “Let it go! Let it go! Turn away and slam the door!”

All three of them dissolved into laughter.

“Oh, Elsa,” said Rapunzel, “you're hilarious!”

Elsa giggled, then veered left toward the front desk while Anna and Rapunzel paused.

“Rapunzel,” said Anna, “aren't you going to...” She broke off as she noticed her cousin checking her phone.

“Check for messages?” Rapunzel finished. She looked up, smiled, and winked. She leaned toward Anna slightly. “That's one of the things I have my retinue do.”

Anna nodded. “I...guess you've figured out how to manage staff.”

Rapunzel nodded. “They've been to the Academy.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “You mean...they're princesses, too?”

“No, no,” Rapunzel giggled, “they took the Extreme Retinue track.”

“The _what_?!” Anna laughed.

“Alright, you two,” said Elsa from over Anna's shoulder, “what's so funny now?”

Anna glanced at her sister's smiling face. “Rapunzel's retinue...well, they...apparently...” She turned back to Rapunzel. “...what are they?”

Rapunzel began to walk toward the elevator and the Arendalska sisters fell into step beside her. “Extreme Retinue,” she said.

Elsa tipped her head back and laughed. “You're joking!”

“Not at all,” said Rapunzel.

The doors opened and the trio stepped inside. Rapunzel pressed a button and Anna pressed another.

“I see you've chosen the best,” said Rapunzel.

“Well,” said Elsa nervously, “it was the only way we could secure the entire floor.”

“I see,” said Rapunzel pensively. “What if I were to tell you that you don't need to control the entire floor in order to secure it?”

Elsa cocked an eyebrow at Rapunzel.

“So,” said Anna, changing the subject slightly, “you're in...one of the Presidential Suites, then?”

Rapunzel nodded. “Needed the space.”

The door opened on Rapunzel's floor. “Care to join me?” she asked. “I won't be long.”

Anna exchanged a glance with her sister. “I don't see why not,” she said.

The three of them stepped into the corridor. Partway down, Elsa slapped her palm against one of the stone pillars. Immediately, a tessellating film of ice radiated out from that point, spreading upward and outward.

Rapunzel looked at it as she walked. “Beautiful,” she said, “that's just beautiful! Have I mentioned how much I love seeing you at work?”

Elsa shook her head.

“Well, I do. The world could really use you, Elsa.”

The lights along the walls and ceiling flickered, then died, plunging everything into pitch blackness.

“You were saying?” said Anna.

“I didn't do it!” Elsa protested.

“Uh-huh,” said Anna dubiously.

“But I didn't!”

“She's probably right,” said Rapunzel.

“She spreads ice all over the room and you don't think she had anything to do with this?”

“No, I don't.”

“Someone's hair-drier, then?”

“This is a luxury hotel,” said Rapunzel flatly. “That's highly unlikely.” She took several more steps and stopped.

Anna heard a scuffling near Rapunzel. The Coronan made a hrmphing sound. There was more scuffling.

Anna leaned closer in the dark, then sang, softly and quickly, “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine!”

Rapunzel's hair lit up, the golden glow shattering the darkness. The jewels in her coronet caught the light, reflecting and refracting it into purple-and-amber-hued spots that glittered off the fractal ice crystals lining the walls. The effect was breathtaking.

“Is that better?” Anna asked.

Rapunzel sighed slightly. “Actually,” she said, as the glow subsided, “I do carry this.” There was a click, then the blue-ish disk of a small LED flashlight appeared on the door in front of them.

“Oh,” said Anna flatly. “I still think your...natural way is better.”

That drew a giggle from Elsa. “I prefer it, too, actually,” she said.

“Now,” said Rapunzel pensively, “about this lock. I knew there was a reason I disliked these card-lock things.” She held the little LED pen-light between her teeth, then reached up behind her head, the leather of her gloves creaking pleasantly. She pulled two pins out of her hair and held them up to the lock.

Anna reached over Rapunzel's shoulder, wrenched the latch lever down and pushed the door inward. Rapunzel looked over her shoulder at Anna and made an inquisitive grunt.

“Safety feature,” said Anna. “The locks disengage in the event of a power loss. Didn't you read the guest literature?”

“More to the point,” said Elsa, “couldn't you have knocked and had your retinue let you in?” She paused. “They... _are_ staying with you, aren't they?”

Rapunzel returned the hair pins to their places and took the light from her mouth. “Of course they are.” She lowered her voice and added, “But it's late and they're probably asleep.”

“What good are retinue if they don't wait up for you?”

Rapunzel cocked an eyebrow at Elsa. “Seriously? You know very well how independent I am. Doubly so since I became Extreme. No, my retinue aren't just staff. Oh, they do some of the routine things I need them to do...help braid my hair, run errands I'm too busy to do, that sort of thing. In some respects, they're more what you might call executive assistants than anything. In other respects, they're so much more. They're my right-hand people. My sparring partners. Aside from the two of you, they're like the sisters I never had. All of which has only been enhanced by their Extreme training. Besides, I wanted the practice.”

Rapunzel turned back to the door and pushed it gently open. Its white surface faded to reveal the blackness of the opening beyond. She handed her small flashlight to Anna. “Take this. I'll meet you up in your suite.”

Anna took the light uncertainly. “What...?”

“Anna, please don't argue. There's more afoot than meets the eye. Until I can put a finger on it, it's best to be cautious. I'll change out of my finery, leave a text for Hilda, and then we can discuss this further.”

The door closed, leaving Anna and Elsa looking at each other in the dim reflection of the LED flashlight. “You think she has a spare?” Elsa asked, indicating the flashlight.

“Knowing her, I don't think I'd put it past her to have to spares hiding in her hair.”

Elsa giggled, then shook her head slowly. “Neither would I.”

The pair made their way to the stairs, then pushed the door open beneath a faintly-glowing EXIT sign. The stairwell was pitch black, save for the LED glow. Anna was glad for that. Without it, she was sure she'd have stubbed her toe or missed a step multiple times, to say nothing of finding the door at the top of their flight.

Anna grasped the metal door handle and squeezed its thumb lever. The latch disengaged easily. She pulled the door open and incandescent light spilled in from the hallway outside.

“Huh,” said Elsa, as she and Anna stepped out into their corridor. All the lights burned as though nothing had happened on the floor below.

“I really don't like the way you say that,” said Anna. She clicked the LED off and made for the main Penthouse door a little faster than she'd intended.

“I'm just saying,” said Elsa, “that it's odd how the lights down there are off, but the ones up here aren't.”

“That doesn't mean anything nefarious is afoot, as our cousin put it.” Anna swiped her key card and the door clicked open. She pushed it and the two of them slipped inside. Only when the door clicked shut again was Anna aware of how tense she'd been.

“Still,” said Elsa, keeping her voice low.

“I think we're both just tired,” said Anna quietly. She didn't want to wake their retinue in the other room. Thankfully, they'd left a couple of lamps on.

“Good point,” said Elsa. It was, after all, pushing two in the morning and they still hadn't quite recovered from their jet lag.

Anna strolled into the main living area, the crinoline beneath her skirts swishing louder than she'd have expected. She laid her clutch on the table and yawned. She watched as Elsa's dress dissolved, some of the ice crystals realigning into what would have looked to anyone else like a comfortable, light-weight nightgown, her elegant, high-heeled shoes turning into casual flats.

Anna giggled. “I really wish I could do that.”

Elsa shrugged. “I'm glad you have so much confidence in me, Anna. I really am. Because I really don't think I could make it without you.”

Anna felt herself blush. She knew her sister was right and it made her feel all warm inside. But it made her slightly embarrassed all the same. “Just don't get into bed with that on, okay?”

Elsa giggled.

Anna swept into their shared bedroom, flicked on a light, and proceeded to undress. She hung her gown in a closet, pulled on a chemise, then kicked off her shoes. “There,” she said re-emerging into the living space, “much better.”

“What's this?” asked Elsa, holding up a bundle.

Anna walked over and looked at it. She glanced down and picked up a similar bundle with one hand. The cloth bundle was light and compact, a piece of wide ribbon securing a girth her fingers nearly spanned. She picked up a hand-written note with the other and read it aloud. “These waited for you at Front Desk.”

Anna and Elsa exchanged looks, then shrugged. Both women untied the ribbon around their respective bundles.

The cloth wrapping fell away, the contents unrolling unexpectedly. Each held up a T-shirt. Anna took one look at hers and laughed. Elsa laughed at hers, too.

Anna's was a light purple with her animated self smiling out from it, twin-braided and depicted as her character had appeared late in the Big Thaw scene. Her name appeared on it in a darker purple, and Kristen Bell had signed it in black ink.

Elsa's was similar, in light blue with her own animated self as she'd appeared after the Let it Go sequence, with her own name in dark blue and Idina Menzel's signature also in black ink.

“These are wonderful!” Anna gushed.

“They shouldn't have,” said Elsa.

A scuffle from the balcony caught the pair's attention. Anna felt her pulse spike as something large moved in the light spilling out from the living space. She froze. Then, “Elsa?” she squeaked.

“I see it,” said Elsa through her teeth.

A figure stepped through the glass door. At that moment, Elsa flung her hand forward. A narrow wave of ice flowed out from her palm and quickly swept across the floor, icicles protruding from it at multiple angles. The intruder slid sideways, avoiding the ice by a hair's breadth.

Elsa swung her arm sideways, the leading edge of the ice lurching toward their uninvited guest. The person dove over it, then landed in a somersault, bare feet arcing through the air, a thick braid of golden hair trailing...

“Elsa, _stop!_ ” Anna screeched.

Elsa paused, looked from their visitor to Anna, then back.

Rapunzel bounced up from the floor. “Not bad, Elsa,” she said. “You'd have quite handily impaled an average burglar...an above-average one, even. Imagine what you could do with some intense training.”

Elsa visibly relaxed, her whole body sagging. “Don't do that!” she blurted.

“Normal people use the door,” said Anna flatly.

Rapunzel smiled. “Yes, well, you both know I'm not exactly normal. And neither are you two.”

Four figures burst bleary-eyed from one of the bedrooms. “Wha...?” one began.

“No need for alarm, ladies,” said Rapunzel. “It's just me.”

“But...”

“She startled us, that's all,” said Elsa.

“Um...go back to bed. We'll be quiet,” said Anna.

Their retinue blinked, then nodded in deference before retreating back into the darkness within.

“Cousin,” said Elsa at length, “why didn't you use the door?”

“That was more fun,” said Rapunzel. “Besides, my spidey sense is tingling, as it were.” She gestured toward the T-shirts the sisters still held. “I see you found yours,” she said.

Anna then noticed Rapunzel's garb. Into a flowy, knee-length lavender satin skirt was tucked a lighter lavender T-shirt with her own animated likeness, her name in gold, and Mandy Moore's signature.

Anna laughed and pointed. “That's perfect!”

“It is, isn't it?” Elsa agreed.

Rapunzel gestured. “Put yours on,” she said brightly.

Anna and Elsa looked at each other and shrugged. Anna peeled off her nightshirt and pulled her T-shirt on in its place. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elsa's ice nightgown disintegrate as she pulled her own shirt over her head.

They all looked at each other. Then, “Selfies!” said all three together. Then they laughed quietly.

Rapunzel pulled her phone out of a pocket while Anna and Elsa retrieved their own. Photos taken, Rapunzel said, “These will be lovely on our Facebook pages, won't they?”

They all tittered. “We'll have to remember to send thank-you notes,” said Elsa.

“How'd you get up here anyway?” Anna asked.

“I climbed.”

“You what?” said Elsa.

“I climbed,” Rapunzel repeated.

“Why?”

“Because I could. And I wanted the challenge.”

“How?”

“It's part of my training.”

Anna's jaw nearly dropped. “They teach you how to climb up buildings?”

Rapunzel nodded. “We contract out to a specialist. Her name's Parker. Most of the time she heads up an outfit called Leverage Consulting. But between jobs, she teaches what most of us call acrobatic insanity.”

“Well,” said Elsa, “climbing up the outside of the Beverley Wilshire Hotel would certainly qualify.”

Anna took a couple of steps toward the balcony. “You went up there and tied off some ropes just so you could...”

“No,” Rapunzel interrupted. “I climbed solo.”

Anna stopped. “Solo?”

“Rock-climbing term. It means free-climbing without ropes or anything.”

Elsa sighed. “Definitely insanity,” she said.

“Oh, it's fun,” said Rapunzel.

“Are you sure you're not twenty pounds of crazy in a five-pound bag?” Anna asked.

Rapunzel just laughed softly. “That's what most of us say about Parker.”

Elsa considered Rapunzel for a moment. “You still should have used the door.”

As if on cue, a knock sounded. “Room service,” said a muffled male voice.

The three women looked at each other.

“Did you call for room service?” Rapunzel asked almost soundlessly.

Elsa and Anna both shook their heads.

Rapunzel gestured to Anna, then padded quietly toward the door.

“Rapunzel?” said Anna.

Rapunzel lifted a finger to her lips, then beckoned to Anna. “Act normally,” she mouthed. She slipped behind a column near the door and nodded.

What was her cousin doing? The woman really had changed. She was still the same person, of course. But there was something different about her and Anna was at a loss to articulate it.

Anna opened the door. “Yes?” she said cordially.

“Room service,” said the man from the opposite end of a wheeled cart.

“But,” said Anna innocently, “we didn't order room service.” It was true and Anna didn't have to to fake her confusion.

“Is okay,” he said. English was apparently not his first language. He pushed the cart into the room. Anna had to move to avoid it.

“What...” Anna began to ask.

The man lifted the lid of a domed server and slid his hand inside. He pulled out something black.

At first, Anna didn't recognize it. Then her eyes went wide and her adrenaline spiked as the man raised a pistol toward her chest.

Anna's world abruptly contracted until nothing else existed but the dull-black silencer. A flurry of motion in her peripheral vision moved the weapon downward. It discharged, and ricocheted somewhere. A second blur seemed continuous with the first and the pistol clattered onto the table. The man gasped as his body suddenly shifted sideways. The door slammed into place at the same time the man's body smacked into the wall.

It all happened seemingly at once, ending with Rapunzel pinning the man against the wall by his throat with her left hand, her right holding a very small, gun-metal grey pistol up to his eye.

“I would not do anything if I were you,” Rapunzel growled.

The man gazed with wide eyes, though at Rapunzel or her pistol, Anna wasn't sure.

“What was...?” Elsa asked from the hall. She gasped.

Rapunzel's attention remained trained on her opponent. “Turn around _very_ slowly,” she snarled. The man complied. Rapunzel suddenly smacked him on the back of the neck and he crumpled noiselessly to the floor.

She turned to Anna. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Anna nodded. “A...a little rattled. But...yes.”

“Good.”

Elsa rushed up next to Anna. “Who is that?” she asked nodding to the man on the floor.

“That's an excellent question,” said Rapunzel, carefully returning the hammer of her pistol to its rest position. “This is...awkward.”

“Awkward?” said Elsa. “Is that what you call it?”

“Yes,” said Rapunzel calmly. “I'll have to call in a containment crew.”

“Why?”

“This is...unusual. We won't know more until we interrogate, though.”

Rapunzel reached under her skirt and between her legs. A few moments later, she pulled out an empty hand. “Now,” she said, “about that containment crew.” She reached up to her ear and the BlueTooth still clasped to it.

“Oh, no, you did _not_ just do what it looked like you did!” Anna exclaimed.

“If you mean what I think you mean,” said Rapunzel, “yes. I did.”

Elsa groaned. “Cousin,” she said, her voice slightly strained, “there are exactly two things that should ever occupy a woman's vagina and that isn't one of them.”

“Well,” said Rapunzel pensively, “I'll agree that the two I'm sure you have in mind are the two best things to have in one's vagina. In reality, though, a woman must do what she must.”

Anna exhaled heavily. “Rapunzel,” she said, “I'm ready.”

Rapunzel nodded. “Tie him up, would you?” Rapunzel squeezed her ear wrap, then launched into a conversation with someone while Anna grabbed a couple of linen napkins Elsa handed to her, and used them to tie the man's hands behind him.

She turned around to see Rapunzel kneel down next to the cart and flip up the linen cloth that hung down. The Coronan exhaled heavily, then said something else to the person at the other end of the line.

Anna didn't quite notice what her cousin had said. Her attention was fixed on an object inside the cart. “That isn't what I think it is, is it?” Anna moaned.

Rapunzel leaned over to Anna's ear. “Yes, Anna. Yes, it is. But don't worry, I have a specialist coming.”

“For what?” Elsa asked, leaning over herself. She yelped, then looked at Rapunzel. “How many specialists do you have?”

“I have access to whomever I need.” She stood up, then pulled Anna to her feet. “So you're ready, are you?”

“Wait,” said Elsa, “ready for what?”

Anna looked her sister in the eye. “For Rapunzel's Academy.”

Elsa's eyes went wide. “You...you're not serious!”

“I'm dead serious.”

“But...you'll be...you won't be you! Just like Rapunzel isn't herself anymore! No, Anna.”

Anna could barely believe what she was hearing. She had what she considered to be a standing offer to improve herself and her sister was forbidding her. It... “Elsa, that's not fair!” she blurted.

“It's like that thing with Hans all over again.”

“No, it isn't! It's nothing like that!”

“You're not doing it and that's...”

“Ladies,” Rapunzel interrupted. “Let's calm down, shall we?”

Anna glared at Elsa and Elsa glared back.

“Perhaps,” said Rapunzel, “we should have a seat?” She paused. “Don't worry, I don't think Mister Cabbage-Head here is going anywhere.”

Anna hesitated, then followed her sister and cousin to the living area and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa across from Rapunzel.

“So,” said Rapunzel, “what seems to be the problem?”

“Besides that you have a pistol up your vagina?” said Elsa flatly.

“Somehow, I don't think that's really the issue, is it?”

Anna looked back and forth between her cousin and her sister. She suddenly realized that she didn't really know what the issue was. Not for herself and certainly not for Elsa. Or did she?

Anna exhaled. “It's just...” She broke off, not entirely sure how to continue. There was nothing for it. “Elsa...Rapunzel...I'm awkward! Physically...socially...mentally. I always have been. And it's always bothered me. And I'd almost decided that was that. But when we met Rapunzel, and she told us about that school of hers...I began to realize that I didn't have to be like this. And I don't want to be.”

She turned to Rapunzel. “I see your confidence and your sophisticated grace which, let's face it, I don't have, and I want it. Badly!”

“But Anna,” said Elsa, “I love you!”

“I love you too, Elsa. But what does that have to do with my wanting to develop myself?”

“Because you won't be you anymore!”

“Elsa, that's absurd! Who else would I be?”

Elsa opened her mouth, but then closed it again with a slight shake of her head.

“Look, sister, all my life, I've been the spare.” Elsa started to object, but Anna forged on. “The extra button on a coat, in case another should come loose. The extra horseshoe hanging up over someone's old barn door, just wishing the horse had another leg. This button wants to fly, Elsa!”

“Buttons can't fly, Anna,” said Elsa.

“That's not the point! The point is that if I'm to be a button, why can't I be a button that's of use? So maybe I'm a girl who's bad at metaphors. But surely I'm meant to be more than just the spare.”

Elsa moved a little closer. “Anna...you _are_ more than just the spare. You saved both of us, remember? You're just as important as I am.”

“Then why don't I feel like it?”

“If I may?” said Rapunzel. “I think I see the problem. Anna, you see in me what you think you lack and it's resurrected some unresolved identity and self-worth issues. Elsa, you're afraid that if Anna undergoes the same training I have, she'll cease to be herself and that consequently you'll again be utterly alone.

“The truth is that I'm not the same person I was when I started. I'm better. None of us stays the way we are anyway. Life does that to us. The real question is, since you're going to change anyway, will that be for the better or not?

“Anna, when I started, I was a lot like you are. Awkward, fragile, sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy, and so on. Even by the time I met you two at the Coronation, and even more so now, I'm confident, strong, and self-rescuing. They helped me find my center and unleash myself. I'm still the same person I was, just a lot more refined, more focused. I'm still me, but I'm a superior me.

“Anna, if you really do pursue this, you need to know a couple of things. First, it's extremely demanding, but worth it. Second, while we have a lot of applicants and even more interest, and while most of them would unquestionably benefit from what we do, relatively few are a good fit for the program. At least not beyond the basic six-month...well, what's basically a trial period.

“You at least have what I suppose you could call a jump on the competition. Most of the girls and young women who come to us have very little idea of why they're there. Some of them are troubled, some of them were sent by their parents, some just lack direction. You, on the other hand, know exactly what you want and exactly what you need. That's not to say there aren't other things you need and want that you haven't identified yet, but still.

“Furthermore, we're not like the Army or the Marines. We don't break you down and then rebuild you into someone else's image. Many of the young women who come to us have little idea who they are. Or if they do, they don't like themselves. The reasons for that are varied and it's usually complicated. We help each woman find herself, identify those things that make her her, reinforce her sense of self-worth, and then help her build on that and refine it. I never ceased to be Rapunzel. Rather, I'm the improved Rapunzel. You'd still be Anna, just the improved Anna. I promise.”

Anna considered that. She'd heard Rapunzel's position on promises and the woman had always been adamant about it. Anna looked at Elsa. Her sister seemed to be thinking it, too.

Rapunzel continued. “Women don't come out of the Academy having been turned into Missus Bennett or Lady Catherine de Burgh or Hyacinth Bucket. Emma Peel, possibly. Or Natasha Romanov. But only if her idiom leads her that way. You know Catherine Winsor nee Middleton, don't you?”

“Duchess of Cambridge, right?” said Anna.

Rapunzel nodded. “She's one of us.” She giggled. “And you should see what she's like when she's not all heels and pearls. That's more of her public face. So no, Elsa, we won't destroy your sister if she comes to us. On the contrary, we'd help her find herself, as it were.

“I think each of you would be absolutely magnificent coming out the other end of Extreme Princess Training. I strongly encourage both of you to do it. By necessity, you'd likely have to do it at different times. Now, I'm Crown Princess of Corona first and foremost and it's time for me to resume those duties. Which means you'll really only see me occasionally. But you WILL see me from time to time. While my time at the Academy was rigorous and often difficult, it was also a great deal of fun. It's only right that I give back to it. So I'll be consulting and overseeing certain aspects of specific bodies of training. But otherwise...I'm going to be Queen one day and I really do have to learn how to run Corona.”

“Isn't Corona a constitutional monarchy?” asked Anna.

“Oh, come now. I think we all know that's only on paper. And I think we also know it's harder to run things while making people think we're not than it is to just ostensibly rule. Which is another benefit to Extreme Princess training. You learn how to do that better, too. And, like Duchess Catherine, no one suspects us because...”

“Because we're cute?” interrupted Anna.

Rapunzel chuckled. “Precisely.”

Anna looked at her sister. She really didn't want another incident like the one at Elsa's reception ball. That had been unfortunate in so many ways. But going into the EPA felt different. It felt right. And she simply had to do it.

Elsa held Anna's gaze. At length, she sighed. “Very well.”

Anna squeed, then practically flew across the room to catch her sister in one of the biggest hugs she could remember in a while. “Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!” she gushed.

Elsa returned the hug, then looked at Rapunzel. “But if you've been exaggerating, and if you turn my sister into a sniveling paper-doll, I'll personally freeze you solid. Is that clear?”

Rapunzel nodded. “Perfectly. Completely unnecessary, but clear.” She looked at Anna. “When would you like to begin?”

Anna frowned. She really hadn't thought about that. “Well...” She backed away from Elsa and leaned back against the sofa. “There's that cryogenics project with Stark Industries we're heading up in a week. Then the Crocus Festival. Then...”

“Anna,” Rapunzel interrupted, “there's always going to be something. Balancing priorities is important.”

Anna half-glared at Rapunzel. “You think I don't know that?”

“My apologies. Are you familiar with the jar metaphor?”

Anna and Elsa looked at each other and shrugged.

“If I have a jar with several large rocks in it, is it full?”

Anna and Elsa both nodded.

“No. There's still room between the big rocks for smaller rocks. So I do that. Is the jar full now?”

They both nodded.

“No. There's room between the smaller rocks for pebbles.”

“Ah,” said Anna, “and room between the pebbles for sand, and room between the sand for water.”

“Exactly! The point is, you must choose what's most important. And when you do, everything else will take care of itself.”

Footsteps in the hall drew Anna's attention. “Uh...Rapunzel?”

Rapunzel was already rising to her feet. “Yes, that company I was expecting.” She trotted across the room and down the hall.

Anna and Elsa looked at each other, shrugged, then stood up and followed their cousin. They reached the foyer area to find several people taking their assailant into custody. Another man knelt next to the cart, peering intently at its contents.

Rapunzel looked up from a kneeling position. “This is that containment team I mentioned,” she said. “This is likely to be...well, I suppose 'interesting' might be a bit of an understatement. Suffice it to say that getting the local authorities involved would complicate matters far more than we'd want. Doing so would interfere with our ability to mount our own investigation and those tend to...well, let's just say we have our own procedures.”

“Your own procedures?” said Elsa.

“Remember what I said about the TSA being amateurs?”

Anna and Elsa both nodded.

“I was understating things a bit. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. contracts out to us from time to time.”

“Who?” asked Anna,

“Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division.” Silence. “What does that mean to you?”

“That someone really wanted their initials to spell 'shield?'” said Anna.

Rapunzel laughed. “You're probably not wrong. Unfortunately, anything beyond that is classified. And that's another thing Extreme Princess training gives you...at least level five clearance.”

The man next to the cart began to poke about inside it.

“What's he doing?” asked Anna.

“Defusing that bomb,” said Rapunzel. “We're very thorough.”

It didn't take long. Anna and Elsa watched as the whole mess was carted out the door with nary another word.

Rapunzel closed the door behind them. “Well,” she said, “that was exciting.” Then she yawned. “I don't know about you,” she added, strolling back toward the living area, “but I'm exhausted.”

Only then did Anna realize just how tired she herself was. That didn't surprise her, even though they'd slept in a little. Well, Elsa had slept in. Anna had been up with the sun, as usual. She glanced at the clock on the microwave oven door as she walked by. The digital numbers told her it was almost three in the morning! She yawned herself and Elsa echoed it.

Rapunzel noticed. “So if you don't mind, I'll show myself out.” She nodded to the patio door.

Anna giggled. “Rapunzel, you're incredible. If I wind up even half as incredible as you...”

Rapunzel laughed. “Now, now, cousin. You flatter me. I suggest we all sleep on it. Shall I meet you two for breakfast? Say, nine o'clock?”

Elsa grunted. “I suppose. Where?”

“How about the Cut?” said Anna.

Rapunzel nodded. “I'll be there.” She stepped up and gave Anna and Elsa each a firm hug. “I love you both like the sisters I never had. You know that, don't you?”

Anna and Elsa both nodded. Anna felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her cousin really was an awesome person. Not as awesome as her sister, but pretty close.

Rapunzel turned, trotted out onto the patio and disappeared over the rail.

Anna and Elsa stood there gazing after their cousin for several moments before looking at each other.

“I think she's right,” said Anna at length. “We really should sleep on it.”

“Fine by me,” said Elsa. “You know, Anna, I think you might both be right. About that Extreme Princessing thing not ruining you.” A pause. “Do you think your retinue will go for it?”

“What do you think?”

Elsa giggled. “I think they'd be all over it like white on rice.”

Anna smiled, then flicked off the lights before following her sister into the bedroom.


End file.
